No, they want children to be sensitive to bullying and verbal slurs.  As a child, we learned how to deflect bullies and it stopped.  Now, children don’t learn that lesson young and can’t handle any kind of pressure as adults.  Some can, most can’t.  When my children were young and wanted me to intercede for them, I always said if you don’t learn to stand up to them now, you never will.  Then I offered suggestions on how to deal with it.  Often that required either standing up to the person and saying No or making the other person look foolish.

A friend’s son was small and had long hair in middle school. He got teased a lot.  Finally, one of the bullies confronted him behind the gym and started poking at the boy to start a fight. They didn't know he had a black belt because they never took the time to get to know him.  He took the bully out in a few seconds and was never bullied again.

Another boy who was gay and brilliant was harassed for being gay.  He hadn’t come out yet, but the adults all knew.  Every time he was harassed, he got out a small notebook and wrote in it.  Finally, someone asked what he was writing. He said he was keeping detailed notes including names, times and who else was watching and encouraging the bullies to turn over to the assistant principal.  He was also bigger, taller and stronger than the other kids.  They immediately stopped bothering him, and began saying and doing things to make friends with him so he wouldn’t turn them in.  By the end of the school year, he was one of the most popular boys in the school, which lasted until he graduated.  Today, neither of those boys would have figured out how to stand up for themselves because an adult would do it for them.  Confidence builds character.

I remember when my oldest son was in the first grade. There were several boys that were bullying him.

I brought it to the attention of the teacher and asked that they keep an eye on the situation.

Nothing changed. So I then taught my son how to hit me in the stomach. He kept practicing hitting harder and harder and harder.

Then one day, I told him, the next time those guys try to bully you, just punch them in the stomach like I taught you. And I further went on to warn him... but NEVER hit them first. Only hit back after they start beating on you.

The next day, the teacher called me into class. Said that my boy hit one of the bullies. I asked the teacher whether he did anything to stop the bullying I reported earlier... he said no.

I then told him... well you don't have to... he took care of it himself. The teacher bowed his head and apologized to me and didn't scold my son at all!

And none of those bullies ever bothered my son again!

FWIW

Natural consequences.

No, the word Mother should not be replaced. To do so is, in my opinion, demeaning, and disrespectful. 

I agree. They have finally pushed it too far.

Meriana said...

No, the word Mother should not be replaced. To do so is, in my opinion, demeaning, and disrespectful. 

BINGO... we have a winner.

But also welcome to the current day stand off...

One claims it's demeaning and disrespectful if the name is not change while the others claim it's demeaning and disrespectful if the name is change. Both cannot be right!

Just think... all of history... Mother Mary, Mother Magdalene, Mother Teresa, Mother ship, Motherland, Mother F###er, Mother's Day, would all become obsolete if the change were to occur!

It's been mother for ages and so shall it continue. Anybody who thinks otherwise should create their own word and not attempt to silence us for our use of the word! That's just obnoxious!

FWIW

Older people won’t learn it or remember it, but if all children are taught different words and usages in school, eventually they will be speaking an entirely new language.

Showtalk said...

Older people won’t learn it or remember it, but if all children are taught different words and usages in school, eventually they will be speaking an entirely new language.

That is one possibility, but one still needs to speak to their parents, grandparents and relatives in a language they too understand so entirely weeding out one language would be quite difficult.

FWIW

Those promoting all this changing of words, etc. claim that doing so makes things more inclusive. So who are they trying to include in their attempt to get rid of the word mother in daily conversation?  Those that believe themselves to have been born in the wrong body, but even though they consider themselves to be men, and want everyone else to acknowledge them as men, they still want to become pregnant, and give birth.  That, to me, makes no sense as it seems that if they really were men born in a female body they would think like men, and getting pregnant, and giving birth would not be something they'd want to experience. 

It's more than time that society stopped pandering to a relatively small portion of the population so that they'll feel included, and valued.  They claim to want society to be more accepting, tolerant, and inclusive, but only on their terms. No matter what, or how much is changed to suit them, it will never be enough. 

When all the politically correct stuff began, I said it could, and eventually would, affect our freedom of speech. Demanding that word contained in documents be changed, that a single person should be referred to with plural pronouns so as not to hurt his/her feelings, and that words used in everyday language be omitted in favor of whatever the "woke" people insist on is definitely affecting freedom of speech.  

Even the word woke is bizarre when you think about it.  It’s not a noun or an adjective, it’s a verb.  Ironic, isn’t it that the more inclusive they say that they try to be, the more divisive they become? A friend’s former son because a daughter last year and has no interest in fathering or mothering a child.